Argentine stocks tumble

Argentine stocks slid on Friday, tracking US markets in a session marked by investor caution and thin trade, traders said. The MerVal index of 12 leading shares lost 0.85 percent to close at 1,618.88 points, racking up a 5.66 percent loss over the last six sessions.
Trade volume fell to one of its lowest levels in a year at 24.2 million pesos ($7.8 million). "The market is re-accommodating and sagging due to external markets," said Guido Macchi, a trader at the Macchi, Julio brokerage.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average shed 0.33 percent over investor worries about slower US economic growth and disappointing news from chip makers dragged tech stocks lower.
Leading Argentine banking conglomerate Group Financiera Galacia led losers on the MerVal, falling 1.69 percent to 1.75 pesos, followed by power transmission company Transener, which was off 1.41 percent to close at 1.40 pesos.